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A veteran, by definition, is someone who fought in a
war as a soldier, sailor, etc. To me, a veteran is someone who is volunteering
and risking their life and freedom to protect mine, yours, your neighbors’, and
every other person in America. Veterans
Day, unfortunately, is only one day. Whereas, veterans should be celebrated every day. They should be
celebrated every single time you say the pledge of allegiance, or sing the
national anthem, or just wake up in the morning. If it weren’t for the tens of thousands of
people that have served and or were killed in battle while defending the stars
and stripes, then we would not be able to say the pledge of allegiance at
school, or sing the national anthem at a varsity volleyball game, or even wake
up in the morning.
November 12, 2015
Granbury
ISD students joined a community celebration for Veterans Day on November 11,
2015, at the Granbury Resort Conference Center.
Highlighted
during the program were the Granbury Marine Corps JROTC color guard and the
Acton Middle School honors band. The music
ensemble performed a medley of Armed Forces songs to conclude the festivities.
Granbury
High School junior Kasey Ludwig was named the winner of an essay contest among
Hood County secondary school students.
The
contest’s objective stated, “Many students think Veterans Day is simply a day
to “celebrate” a day off from school. They don’t realize it is instead a ‘celebration
to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and
willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.’ The objective of this
contest is to help students understand the true meaning of this day.”
Ludwig’s
essay is framed and will be displayed in the Hood County Courthouse over the
next year. The text of her entry
follows:
What Veterans
Day Means to Me
Before this past summer, I had never truly appreciated the meaning of Veterans Day. I knew I had veterans in my family, but not until my Youth Leadership Conference with the Military Order of the World Wars, did I truly understand the definition of a veteran.
A veteran, by definition, is someone who fought in a
war as a soldier, sailor, etc. To me, a veteran is someone who is volunteering
and risking their life and freedom to protect mine, yours, your neighbors’, and
every other person in America. Veterans
Day, unfortunately, is only one day. Whereas, veterans should be celebrated every day. They should be
celebrated every single time you say the pledge of allegiance, or sing the
national anthem, or just wake up in the morning. If it weren’t for the tens of thousands of
people that have served and or were killed in battle while defending the stars
and stripes, then we would not be able to say the pledge of allegiance at
school, or sing the national anthem at a varsity volleyball game, or even wake
up in the morning.
Just two short months ago, I attended a Youth Leadership Conference sponsored by the Military Order of the World Wars. During that perspective changing week, I had the privilege of hearing from multiple speakers. The majority of those speakers were veterans that fought in the Vietnam and Korean Wars. One veteran that stood out to me was Mr. Allen Clark. Mr. Clark is a Vietnam veteran who lost both of his legs in an early-morning mortar attack at his camp.
While listening to him speak, I tried to hold back tears. His dedication to his country was like no other I had ever witnessed before. He explained how close he was to the men in his bunker, and how they were like family. He then started talking about his book, Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior. In his book he goes into immense detail of the month leading up to the mortar attack and his injury. Mr. Clark started to weep as he recalled those everlasting memories. I could hear myself, as well as the majority of the fifty kids in the room, start to sniffle and wipe their eyes.
At that moment, I became inspired. This inspiration drove me to decide to keep pursuing to attend a United States Service Academy, just like Mr. Clark (he attended West Point). His speech and book lit a fire in my belly, a fire that told me I needed to serve my country.
I credit my
experience at the Youth Leadership Conference in forever changing my
perspective on Veterans Day. Without
attending, I would still only see Veterans Day as just one day to celebrate
veterans. Now, I celebrate veterans
every single day. And on November 11th I
will especially remember Mr. Allen Clark, Bob Mueller, my great Uncle George,
my great Uncle Charles, my papa, my grandpa, and my cousins Mike and Rob.
Other
GISD campus-level winners were: Kinsey
Brawner, Crossland Ninth Grade Center; Laura Burch, Granbury Middle School; Dayna
Slark, Acton Middle School.
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